First off, let me start by saying yes, I know that comparing earbuds to over the ear noise cancelling headphones seems a little ridiculous. But many people have asked about this comparison and I was incredibly interested in this question too. Also remember, this is all my opinion only!
If you want the short version: I am damn impressed by the sound the Airpod Pros are pumping out.
To test the two side by side, I used songs from various genres to try and get a feel for how they each sounded. On the Sony headphones I played them without any preset equalizer setting that would change values drastically to achieve a certain sound (Extra Bass, Extra Treble, etc). I am streaming off of my iPhone connected to Wifi using high quality streaming on Spotify. I also used the same volume level for both headphones.
First song(s) I tested were from Tame Impala. Borderline, and The Less I Know the Better. The bass drum in Borderline and bass line in The Less I Know The Better were definitely more punchy and pronounced on the Sonys. You definitely get a more full bass feel in your ear. One thing that really really surprised me was the vocal quality on the Airpods. Honestly, it is incredibly surprising to me to say this, but the vocals on the Airpods sound up there with the Sonys, if not slightly better. Seems crazy, but I think the in ear nature of the airpods help create this sense that the vocals are coming almost from the middle of your brain. It sounds really nice, and Kevin Parker's voice just sounds so good on the Airpods. Incredibly impressive.
Next song I tested was a song called On Your Mind off of Kaskade's latest Redux 003 album. This is EDM, so there are a lot more bass effects coming from the song. They are not as strong as a real bass line might be, but they are there. This is obviously a song where the Sonys do hold an advantage. There is just a wider sound stage for the bass to open up and with the over the ear design, the headphones really help bring out various effects in the song. But i would be lying if I said the Airpods did not impress. Again, the vocal quality of the singer kind of shocked me. And let me say this: the bass on the airpods in this song did not sound bad at all. Honestly, its very clear and pronounced and seriously very impressive, but the songs various effects dont fill my head like the Sonys seem to do.
Last song I wanted to test was a song called OSOM by Jay Rock, featuring J. Cole. Being a hip hop song, there is a lot of low end bass in this one. If I am being honest, because of this , the Sonys begin to muddy out and kind of sound bad on the low end. The bass on the Airpods seems almost non existent on this song. Its really kind of weird, theres no punch to the bass on this song like some of the others, although its obviously still there to some extent. The vocals, however, hands down sound better to me than the Sony. It is more crisp and clear, without question to me.
I did not have time to do more comparisons on other genres, but damn I have to say that I am absolutely so impressed with the quality of the Airpods. A certain and marked improvement over the regular airpods, and seriously in some situations pulling its weight right up against my Sonys. There is no question that the bass can be lacking in certain genres. But in my opinion, that is to be expected. And no one should expect the same bass response from in ears versus over the ear headphones. Vocal quality though is superb. Clear, crisp, and a pleasure to listen to. I think the Airpods will lend incredibly well to genres outside of hip hop and bass heavy edm.
One final thought on the noise cancellation: Definitely impressive. I see a lot of posts saying they dont feel the cancellation works very well, and I have to strongly disagree. In my opinion, the cancellation is at least 90 percent as good as the Sony headphones. When I put them on, I was actually shocked at how well it blocked out noise. Obviously the next time I get on a plane that will be a real test, but for now there is no way I could have any complaints.
Do I think that the Airpoids could completely replace my Sonys? Absolutely not. But I dont feel that is the correct way to look at what this product does. Considering the size and the portability, these do a damn good job and are a great compliment to any over the ear headphones for when you simply dont want something so big on your head. And yes, if you are only getting Airpods, then these are absolutely worth the premium over the regular ones.
If you want the short version: I am damn impressed by the sound the Airpod Pros are pumping out.
To test the two side by side, I used songs from various genres to try and get a feel for how they each sounded. On the Sony headphones I played them without any preset equalizer setting that would change values drastically to achieve a certain sound (Extra Bass, Extra Treble, etc). I am streaming off of my iPhone connected to Wifi using high quality streaming on Spotify. I also used the same volume level for both headphones.
First song(s) I tested were from Tame Impala. Borderline, and The Less I Know the Better. The bass drum in Borderline and bass line in The Less I Know The Better were definitely more punchy and pronounced on the Sonys. You definitely get a more full bass feel in your ear. One thing that really really surprised me was the vocal quality on the Airpods. Honestly, it is incredibly surprising to me to say this, but the vocals on the Airpods sound up there with the Sonys, if not slightly better. Seems crazy, but I think the in ear nature of the airpods help create this sense that the vocals are coming almost from the middle of your brain. It sounds really nice, and Kevin Parker's voice just sounds so good on the Airpods. Incredibly impressive.
Next song I tested was a song called On Your Mind off of Kaskade's latest Redux 003 album. This is EDM, so there are a lot more bass effects coming from the song. They are not as strong as a real bass line might be, but they are there. This is obviously a song where the Sonys do hold an advantage. There is just a wider sound stage for the bass to open up and with the over the ear design, the headphones really help bring out various effects in the song. But i would be lying if I said the Airpods did not impress. Again, the vocal quality of the singer kind of shocked me. And let me say this: the bass on the airpods in this song did not sound bad at all. Honestly, its very clear and pronounced and seriously very impressive, but the songs various effects dont fill my head like the Sonys seem to do.
Last song I wanted to test was a song called OSOM by Jay Rock, featuring J. Cole. Being a hip hop song, there is a lot of low end bass in this one. If I am being honest, because of this , the Sonys begin to muddy out and kind of sound bad on the low end. The bass on the Airpods seems almost non existent on this song. Its really kind of weird, theres no punch to the bass on this song like some of the others, although its obviously still there to some extent. The vocals, however, hands down sound better to me than the Sony. It is more crisp and clear, without question to me.
I did not have time to do more comparisons on other genres, but damn I have to say that I am absolutely so impressed with the quality of the Airpods. A certain and marked improvement over the regular airpods, and seriously in some situations pulling its weight right up against my Sonys. There is no question that the bass can be lacking in certain genres. But in my opinion, that is to be expected. And no one should expect the same bass response from in ears versus over the ear headphones. Vocal quality though is superb. Clear, crisp, and a pleasure to listen to. I think the Airpods will lend incredibly well to genres outside of hip hop and bass heavy edm.
One final thought on the noise cancellation: Definitely impressive. I see a lot of posts saying they dont feel the cancellation works very well, and I have to strongly disagree. In my opinion, the cancellation is at least 90 percent as good as the Sony headphones. When I put them on, I was actually shocked at how well it blocked out noise. Obviously the next time I get on a plane that will be a real test, but for now there is no way I could have any complaints.
Do I think that the Airpoids could completely replace my Sonys? Absolutely not. But I dont feel that is the correct way to look at what this product does. Considering the size and the portability, these do a damn good job and are a great compliment to any over the ear headphones for when you simply dont want something so big on your head. And yes, if you are only getting Airpods, then these are absolutely worth the premium over the regular ones.
Last edited:
They’re both great headphones, truly great. For me the APP are the one headphone to rule them all. No more dragging over the ear ANC cans along flights or having a workout pair and a relaxation pair of earbuds, the APP is it.